Is your Business Ready for an Employee Shortage?
Here in B.C. the 2009 fall/winter season may have businesses facing a high employee absenteeism rate due to seasonal colds and flu, H1N1 and traffic interruptions due to the Olympics. Is your company prepared?
Businesses face a number of challenges caused by these issues:
- Maintaining employee productivity when they can’t work from the office
- Managing customer service needs
- Supporting group meetings when employees cannot travel
Businesses must look ahead to the potential operational impacts that may affect them during this season and update their contingency plans to reduce the impact on typical day-to-day activities. Preparation is key.
To prepare for this potential shortage, businesses can cross-train employees, arrange for backup staff, arrange flexible hours, or implement a system that allows employees to work from home (telecommuting).
Telecommuting is becoming more commonplace among businesses as employers recognize the benefits of having employees go mobile.
Besides the immediate benefits of reducing the risk of spreading infection, reducing traffic in high volume times and maintaining company performance, telecommuting has the additional benefits of:
- Lowered absenteeism
- Increased productivity
- Better work/life balance for employees
- Reduced stress levels
To effectively implement a telecommuting system for your employees, businesses should consider:
- Establishing secure remote communications for out-of-office connectivity
- Adopting a reservation less conferencing system for last minute or planned meetings
- Streamlining communications by integrating voicemail, fax and email into a single location, accessible by phone or pc.
With a good telecommuting plan – one that has rules and policies to ensure the proper results – the company can realize a strong contingency plan in times of employee absenteeism, in addition to improved productivity and a happier workforce.
Algo Communications is positioned to provide businesses with the technology foundation to provide secure remote access to data and voice services. For more information, contact your Algo Communications Representative or call us at 604-483-3333.